December is filled with the generosity of gift giving, and a donation to the library’s annual fund provides the gift of library programming and services to your friends and neighbors in the Quaker Valley community. This year, these gifts are more important than ever as the library addresses two initiatives that require significant investment.

A full compensation study was conducted this year by our library board of directors to ensure competitive salaries are paid to retain our talented staff in this most unusual job market. An historic library in a thriving community like ours demands a knowledgeable staff capable of creating experiences and providing resources that our community members deserve. Salaries were raised to levels paid by similarly sized libraries in our area to demonstrate appreciation to our talented librarians and clerks to whom we are grateful for their dedicated service throughout the pandemic.

Additionally, our nearly 100-year-old building is in need of care. We are working to put funding into place to complete an estimated $1.6 million capital project to replace the roof and ten historic windows in the 1923 portion of the building, and upgrade the air conditioning system for the entire library.  We expect to be able to begin this work in the spring, and will have more information forthcoming. While your year-end gift would be applied not to this project but to the operating budget, it allows the library board to maximize funding that otherwise might have to be applied to cover operational shortfalls.

Both of these initiatives are partially funded by the Raymond C. and Martha S. Suckling Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation; but there is much work to be done. Your end-of-year gift can help us look into 2022 with confidence as we endeavor to seamlessly provide quality lifelong learning opportunities to the Quaker Valley community while lovingly restoring our historic library building. Please consider a gift today by picking up a donation envelope at the front desk, or making your gift online.

Thank you for your support of the Sewickley Public Library.

Appreciation for December Gifts